Ministry of Health’s Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Affairs Dr Majida Al-Qattan has confirmed approval of the recommendation prohibiting the issuance of visas for expatriate workers unless they undergo medical checkup in accredited medical centers in their respective home countries, reports a local daily.

Al-Qattan disclosed a proposal has also been presented to stop the transfer of visit visa to work permit or family visa in order to solve the problem related to the entry of expatriate workers into the country without undergoing medical checkup, as it is considered a serious threat to public health. She said these decisions were taken in coordination with the concerned bodies In another development, Al-Qattan affirmed that since she occupied the position, they have been preparing for a campaign on vaccination against polio.

She also unveiled a plan to give additional dose of this vaccine to those coming from affected countries to prevent spread of the disease in Kuwait. Moreover, Al-Qattan asserted Kuwait is now free of Ebola while the ban on the recruitment of workers from some African countries like Nigeria, Senegal and Mali has been lifted. She added Kuwait has updated its policy on combating Ebola.